leatherback
The Treedeemer
I doubt it. He may just recognize someone who is really interested in bonsai, and not by the idea of bonsai.An answer from a real, local (to someone!) nursery. Awesome.
I went to a nearby nursery not to long ago and noticed that he was trying to somewhat gauge my skill/experience level. It was clear that he used this to steer me away from some trees, which I appreciated. The nursery specialized in wholesale "mallsai" and he was almost embarrassed by that fact and even said to me "someone like you should only by a tree in bonsai soil"...but I think perhaps he overestimated my skills
After 2 years of classes in my bonsai school I was "questioned" by the owner whether I only had projects, or also more refined trees. His concern was that skills were advancing beyond material. The next time I brought trees that were more advanced but did not need a lot of work.